North British 1996 18 Year Cask #224751 (Berry Bros. & Rudd)

Transferred from Barreled (12/2017): It’s time for a review of another Scottish grain distillery. This is North British Distillery’s 18 year old offering. This grain is heavily used in blends and most, if not all, of their single grain bottles are only available by independent bottlers. This one is provided by Berry Bros. It’s a cask strength that comes in at a hefty 57% ABV. It’s non-chill filtered and doesn’t have any color added. It was distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2015. It’s a typical yellow gold in color and has a heavy cereal note on the nose. If you can get past the ABV burn you may be able to detect vanilla and lighter orchard fruits like pears and apricots. They are hard to pick up and require way too much work, actually. The palate is obviously hot, but a bit of water does allow some honey sweetness and red berries to shine- even if it only lasts a few seconds. The harshness of the grain along with some oak pepper leads to a bitter bite around mid sip and make for a difficult finish. Speaking of finish, it’s heavy on the oak and heat and leaves a lingering bitterness that really turns it into a mess. I provided this sample as we are trying to get samples from every active distillery in Scotland. I’m starting to wish that we had crossed off grain distilleries from the goal because they just aren’t very good on their own. They need a master blender to make them work any magic they have or they should just be used in conjunction with single malts. It cost me around $90 to get this bottle and I could’ve spent that money in so many better ways. I don’t recommend this- or any single grain bottles- at all. Stick with the single malts or blends, my friends. 2 stars. Cheers.

This has been sitting in the collection from the SDT and the named has intrigued me. It must good, it has British in the name. Somewhat regal. Grain alcohol, ginger root, vanilla and dried pineapples. I couldn’t get much more out as the strong sense of alcohol is all I could really discern. Not off to a good start. I gave this a fair amount of time to settle down, but to no avail. Ouch! Paint thinner, grain alcohol, pinch of vanilla and , butterscotch sweetness. Wasabi spice prickles the tongue. Stir in some apples and apricots. As it starts the finish, an old weathered oakiness comes into play. (Rewardingly) short, dry and bitter. Adding water probably would have helped, and admittedly, not enjoying this far, was somewhat looking to move on. This is one of the harshest, if not the harshest whiskies I ever encountered. Sand paper and fire with a touch of sweetness. A young presence, though its marked as an 18 year. This was a rough one with very little to enjoy. Sorry @LeeEvolved, this is one that I am glad I tried and learned not to do so again. [68/100][Tasted: 4/7/18]

Stop number 54 on the SDT is North British. This Lowland distillery exclusively produces grain whisky, and the vast majority is sold as bulk whisky to use in various blends. This is a single grain bottle from the independent bottlers at Berry’s. Distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2015, this 18 year old is from cask number 224751, 57% ABV, is non chill filtered and natural color of golden straw. The nose starts pretty sharp. Lots of honey and vanilla and strong grains. Dried ginger, oak and golden raisins. A touch fruity with dried apricots and a slight blueberry pie feel. Baked bread and light toffee. Not very exciting so I figured I’d add some water as the high ABV might be masking some flavors. Water reveals a rubbery note and some sweetness but little else. Not looking good so far. The palate arrives somewhat hot as is to be expected from the strength. A heavy grain feel. Oak, fairly bitter. Light fruits, raisins, berries and apricots. Honey and vanilla. Not much else really. Water softens it, but the bitterness remains. Medium bodied mouthfeel that is oily and mouthwatering. A medium long finish that is bitter and oaky. Unfortunately this is another failed independent bottling. I suspect poor casks or just overly rough spirit. 18 years was not long enough to tame this beast. Water takes out some of the bad elements, but makes no real improvements to the point of enjoyability. At $90 it’s really not worth it. I can see why this stuff is relegated for use as a bulk blending component. Thank to @LeeEvolved for the sample, another distillery checked off the tour. 2.25 Cheers